Episode 25: The One Where Batman Saves Denny O’Neil
Welcome to the twenty-fifth episode of The Overlooked Dark Knight. The is a non-index index show where the hosts, Andrew Leyland and Michael Bailey, look at Batman comics that rarely, if ever, get talked about. In the second episode of the month they discuss the various books that were associated with the animated Batman shows of the nineties, though just about everything is fair game.
This time out Andy and Mike talk about some…weird stories. In Batman #318 we are introduced to Firebug…became the name Firefly was already taken. In all seriousness this is an interesting story that once again feels like it would have been home on one of the action/super-hero shows that were on television when this issues was on the stands. A man dressed in an amazing red and yellow costume is setting fires to get revenge for his family. What happened? Listen and find out. Then they talk about the Batman story from Detective Comics #487 where Batman has to protect a writer that has gotten into the cross-hairs of the League of Assassins because they just happened to hear him talking to himself as he was jogging by.
Seriously. That’s what caught their attention.
Below is a gallery of images from the books discussed in this episode.
And here is a gallery of the ads that the guys yakked about this time out.
Andy and Mike want your feedback on this episode so they can read it on an upcoming show! You even have options in how you leave your feedback. The most direct way is to leave a comment right here on the site. You can also send all questions, concerns, fears and trepidations to overlookeddarkknight@gmail.com. Then there’ the Facebook page, where you can also leave a Batman related question for Andy and Mike to answer at the beginning of the show. If you talk about this show on the social medias please include a #overlookeddk so the guys know where to find it.
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Next Time: Animated Batman! Annuals! The sequel to The Mask of the Phantasm!
Thank you, gentlemen, for responding to my question about your favorite versions of the Batmobile. I figure everyone has a favorite Batmobile, just as everyone has a favorite Star Fleet Captain. For what it’s worth, my favorite Batmobile is the 1940s version (from the comics, not from the movie serial), with its bat-head bat-tering ram in the front, and the ridiculously large bat-wing fin on its roof. I think it’s just marvelous!
Hey fellas,
Favorite Batmobile…why don’t you ask me which kid is my favorite? Okay, it’s either the Dick Sprang “Batmobile of 1950”, with its Bat-head, big fin and bubble dome, OR the 60s TV show car, the GREATEST Batmobile, OR the “Super Powers” Batmobile of the late 70s to mid 80s.
I bought both of your featured comics right off the stands. Even at age 4, the power of JLGL’s art could not be denied. Not that I would pass up a Batman comic if I saw one, bu these demanded me to beg my Mom for them. Firebug’s motivations are a bit “naft” as Andy might say, but I kind of like his visual, Iron Man rip-off and all. And now that I think of it, THIS is probably the first time I saw my beloved Gentleman Ghost in the comics, and NOT the following issue, after first meeting him on the Super Friends cartoon, which Andy was unforgivably robbed of as a child.
The ‘Tec story is…odd. Michael, I liked your observation about this proving O’Neil’s Batman tales weren’t always “serious”. I think it does work as a farce, but maybe Newton’s moody and realistic art undercuts the humor a bit too much? As much as I love Newton, this is a very noirish looking story, and after the events of Batwoman’s murder, the art fits…but the story doesn’t. But remember O’Neil stretched out the initial Ra’s Al Ghul saga over YEARS and random issues of Batman, so maybe Denny just didn’t worry about “trading it” like we do nowadays?
Great episode! Oh, and Andy, James Doohan was a regular on the first season of Jason of Star Command before getting called back into Starfleet duty on The Motion Picture. So its worth checking out just for that. Plus Sid Haig as the cyborg bad guy!